Chester-Le-Street water level
River gauge, River Wear, Durham, United Kingdom
Right now
Very low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
Low water at Chester-Le-Street: the gauge reads 0.29 m, far below normal for mid-October.
That puts it 0.09 m below the median of 0.38 m for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 0.31 m (−0.02 m). The lowest reading on record is 0.21 m (August 22, 2003).
The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.29 m – 0.30 m.
Autumn rain usually starts to lift rivers again after the summer low.
Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels
Key numbers
- Median for this date
- 0.38 m0.09 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.30 m – 0.68 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.29 m – 3.00 m
- Same day last year
- 0.31 m−0.02 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.29 m – 0.30 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.27 m – 1.91 m
- Highest on record
- 4.06 mJuly 18, 2009
- Lowest on record
- 0.21 mAugust 22, 2003
For anglers and canoeists
Low rivers are hard going for paddlers, with exposed gravel and weirs that are awkward to shoot. Salmon and sea trout usually wait for the next spate to run.
Many angling and canoe clubs check gauges like this one before heading out.
About the River Wear
The River Wear in Northern England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At 60 mi (97 km) long, it is one of the region's longest rivers. The Wear wends in a steep valley through the cathedral city of Durham and gives its name to Weardale in its upper reach and Wearside by its mouth.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 1.2 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.
Forecast: Open-Meteo
Map
Other gauges on the River Wear
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham New Elvet BridgeRiver gauge, River Wear | 0.21 m | Very low | ±0 | 8.7 km |
| Sunderland BridgeRiver gauge, River Wear | 0.25 m | Very low | ±0 | 14 km |
| Witton ParkRiver gauge, River Wear | 0.31 m | Very low | ±0 | 23 km |
| StanhopeRiver gauge, River Wear | 0.21 m | Low | ±0 | 32 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton Le SpringRiver gauge, Moors Burn | 0.10 m | Normal | ±0 | 4.9 km |
| Team ValleyRiver gauge, River Team | 0.20 m | Very low | ±0 | 8.0 km |
| TanfieldRiver gauge, River Team | 0.20 m | Low | −0.02 m | 9.6 km |
| Lanchester Front StreetRiver gauge, Smallhope Burn | 0.24 m | Normal | ±0 | 12 km |
| Burn HallRiver gauge, River Browney | 0.11 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 13 km |
| Rowlands GillRiver gauge, River Derwent | 0.13 m | Very low | ±0 | 13 km |
| Crag HallRiver gauge, Ouse Burn | 0.05 m | Very low | ±0 | 17 km |
| Blackhall MillRiver gauge, River Derwent | 0.05 m | Very low | ±0 | 17 km |
Questions and answers
How does the River Wear at Chester-Le-Street compare with last year?
It is 0.02 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.31 m.
What is a normal level for the River Wear at Chester-Le-Street in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.38 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.30 m and 0.68 m, based on 21 years of records.
Is the river level the same as the depth of the water?
No. The reading is measured from a fixed zero mark at the gauge, so 0.29 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Chester-Le-Street today?
On 19 Oct 2026, 05:00 BST, the water level was 0.29 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Chester-Le-Street rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is the level of Chester-Le-Street normal?
Very low for mid-October. Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year.
What is the highest water level ever recorded at Chester-Le-Street?
The highest level on record is 4.06 m on July 18, 2009. The lowest is 0.21 m on August 22, 2003.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:024009(Agency page)- Coordinates
54.85478, -1.56072(WGS84)- Vertical datum
- station datum
- Update interval
- every 15 minutes
- Licence
- Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Environment Agency data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0
Published series
| Parameter | Last value | Time (UTC) | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water level | 0.29 m | 2026-10-19 04:00 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.
How to cite
Environment Agency: Chester-Le-Street (ea:024009). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/durham/chester-le-street
How we check values
Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.
Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer